“The Slovakians bet on a dynamic and futuristic music oscillating between Deathstars, The Kovenant and T3chn0ph0b1a”

Slovakia is about to get the world to talk about it when it comes to Indus/Cyber. After the wrongdoings of 0n0, it’s Khadaver’s turn to strike, after releasing an EP, “God-RW” in 2010. The duo led by Nihil Nix decides once again to produce its own music and to liberate itself from all labels in order to release its first full length album. Originally entitled “Opus Novum”, it is under the name “New World Disorder” that we discover the Slovakians’ Cyber Metal with a Black metal twist.

The band is mainly influenced by Electronic music and Black Metal, which can be felt in the majority of the titles. One can also detect a hint of a Gothic mood on a few tracks (“Vacuity”), but it is the cybernetic aspect indeed which prevails, valorized by futuristic, cold, tortured and pessimistic compositions and cyberpunk thematic regarding dystopia or the nuclear holocaust as well as critics on religions or politics.

After a very pessimistic introduction showing Europe in flames, it’s “Kampfbereit” that strikes hard with its electronic touches, its catchy guitars and an alternation of Clear and Black metal vocals, with even a hint of Death growls. It all goes on with “21st Century Antichrist”, emphasizing the EBM aspect of the rhythm and the garish aspect of the voice, all while incorporating very enjoyable industrial elements as well as choirs.

In little time, one can easily notice Khadaver’s influences, the most striking being T3chn0ph0b1a (that idea is comforted by the fact that the mixing has been intrusted with 5kott of that band) and especially The Kovenant. That can be felt most in the eponymous “New World Disorder”, acting like a fusion of the “Animatronic” period (for the Black metal aspect) and the “SETI” period (for the Cyber metal aspect) of the Norwegians. Beside, the name “New World Disorder” sticks pretty closely to the “New World Order” of their fellow musicians, an extremely pessimistic reference. Musically, it’s exactly that.

One cannot but call Deathstars’ “Semi Automatic” to mind to talk about Khadaver’s “Battle Zone”, the introduction being almost similar. Although, the rest is different, Black metal elements making the most of it as well as the very dancing aspect of the rhythms. Nonetheless, the end of the albums seems to privilege atmospheric touches in the guitar and electronics, as in “AD Assault” or “Technofuneral”, very cybernetic on the arrangements’ level.

To appreciate Khadaver even the least bit, one has to like electronic and the garish aspect of the Black voice. If all of this is acquired, this album is for you. The Slovakians bet on a dynamic and futuristic music oscillating between Deathstars, The Kovenant and T3chn0ph0b1a, by installing a good ambiance of a world in perdition under the cover of a very Electro Cyber Metal.

*Posted as part of our partnership with Tiphany Mataï, reviewer from the French Spirit of Metal Webzine..